The main characters are Cupid, Psyche, and
Aphrodite.
Introduction
The story Cupid and Psyche is originally from The golden A** found in Apuleius. It tells of a goddess's jealousy of a mortal, the love story
of the goddess's son, and the woman the goddess despised...
The Story of Cupid and Psyche
When Psyche was born, everyone marveled at how gorgeous she was. When she grew up, she was the most beautiful woman among mortals and, questionably, among immortals. Mortals worshiped her like the god of love. Soon all of Aphrodite's temples where empty of of worshipers. Of course, Aphrodite grew angry about this.
Aphrodite called her son, Cupid, with his arrows of love . She told Cupid to find the most terrible, ugliest, and vile monster he could find and make Psyche fall in love with it. So Cupid went to her and was overwhelmed with her beauty. He could not bring himself to do it, but he did not mention any of this to his mother.
Psyche did not fall in love with a horrible monster like Aphrodite had intended. Actually, Psyche did not fall in love at all and no man fell in love with Psyche either. This concerned Psyche's parents so her father went to Apollo to seek advice. Apollo had told her father that she was to be married to a fearful dragon-like serpent and she was to be set in on a rocky summit, alone, to wait for her husband. They carried her to the rocky hill with great sadness and disbelief. Then everyone left in despair, also leaving Psyche to meet her unknown fate. Psyche closed her eyes and cried.
She felt a gentle wind levitate her off the ground and softly lay her down upon a pasture. The pasture was as soft as a feather pillow. She saw a mansion. Voices, as if out of nowhere, told her to enter it. After she entered it the voices told her that the mansion was hers, and that her husband would appear that very night.
Her husband appeared, but in the dark so she could not see him. He told her that her sisters were coming tomorrow and that she should not go to see them because nothing good would come of it. Still, she insisted that she see them. He reluctantly agreed. Her sisters discovered the mansion and grew jealous of the riches and great estate she had. The sisters questioned her about her husband and what he looked like. From Psyche's description they were convinced that she had never seen her husband and knew not of his form. They told her he was no man, but instead, the fearful serpent Apollo's oracle foretold of. They told her that he seemed trustworthy now, but one day he would strike upon her.
Psyche felt fear instead of adoration flooding through her veins. She remembered he had never let her see him and thought that there must be some reason for this. She could not deny what they had said and asked them for their advice. They advised her to hide a knife and lamp near her bed. When her husband went to sleep she must shine her lamp upon and drag her knife through the beast the light was sure to show her. Then they left her torn and confused on what to do. She had given up the struggle and decided she would see him. That night, she shone the lamp upon him.
It was Cupid! Wax melted down from the lamp and fell upon Cupid. Cupid was hurt, so he fled to Olympus and told Aphrodite about his problems. Angry about about his disobedience, Aphrodite left him with his injury. Psyche wanted to spend the rest of her life searching for Cupid. She went to Aphrodite to beg for help. Aphrodite, still jealous of Psyche, gave her difficult challenges to prove her a worthy servant. Psyche always found a way to complete them which frustrated Aphrodite (see the section titled Psyche's tasks for information on the three not mentioned here.) Her last task, and the most dreadful of all of her tasks, was to get a box from the underworld containing beauty. Aphrodite's excuse was that from not being worshipped for so long her beauty had declined. Psyche had gotten the box, however, she could not handle the temptation to open it. Psyche was disappointed to find the box empty, except for a infernal and Stygian sleep which is then set free from the box. The sleep took possession of Psyche and knocked her unconscious.
At this point in time, Cupid healed from his wound and yearned to see Psyche. He decided to fly out in search of his wife. Psyche was sleeping nearly beside the palace and Cupid found her instantly. Cupid put the sleep back in the box and pricked her with an arrow to awaken her. He scolded her from being so curious and asked her to take the box to his mother, assuring her everything would be well. Cupid went up to Olympus to see Jupiter to ask that Aphrodite would give them no more trouble. Jupiter agreed. Then Jupiter announced to all, including Aphrodite, that Cupid and Psyche were married. Jupiter then gave Psyche ambrosia, Psyche drank and then became immortal. Then, Psyche and Cupid could live together forever and were equals.
Interesting facts
Psyche means "love and soul"
Some people may think Valentine's Day originated from this myth, Cupid and Psyche, but it did not.
Psyche's tasks
The first was to sort the smallest seeds seeds of many kinds of grain and be finished by night fall. Ants hellped her to sort them.
The next was to fetch some golden fleece from exetremely viscous sheep. The reeds told her that the thorny plants had fleece on them and that she could collect the fleece from them. She did.
Next was to fetch a bottle of water from the source of the river styx. An eagle helped her to get to the water which was on a very high mountain.
Sources
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. New York, NY: Warner, 1999. Print.
Davenport, Basil. The Portable Roman Reader. New York: Viking, 1951. Print.
By: Sadie, Lauren, and Reece
Characters
The main characters are Cupid, Psyche, and
Aphrodite.
Introduction
The story Cupid and Psyche is originally from The golden A** found in Apuleius. It tells of a goddess's jealousy of a mortal, the love story
of the goddess's son, and the woman the goddess despised...
The Story of Cupid and Psyche
When Psyche was born, everyone marveled at how gorgeous she was. When she grew up, she was the most beautiful woman among mortals and, questionably, among immortals. Mortals worshiped her like the god of love. Soon all of Aphrodite's temples where empty of of worshipers. Of course, Aphrodite grew angry about this.
Aphrodite called her son, Cupid, with his arrows of love . She told Cupid to find the most terrible, ugliest, and vile monster he could find and make Psyche fall in love with it. So Cupid went to her and was overwhelmed with her beauty. He could not bring himself to do it, but he did not mention any of this to his mother.
Psyche did not fall in love with a horrible monster like Aphrodite had intended. Actually, Psyche did not fall in love at all and no man fell in love with Psyche either. This concerned Psyche's parents so her father went to Apollo to seek advice. Apollo had told her father that she was to be married to a fearful dragon-like serpent and she was to be set in on a rocky summit, alone, to wait for her husband. They carried her to the rocky hill with great sadness and disbelief. Then everyone left in despair, also leaving Psyche to meet her unknown fate. Psyche closed her eyes and cried.
She felt a gentle wind levitate her off the ground and softly lay her down upon a pasture. The pasture was as soft as a feather pillow. She saw a mansion. Voices, as if out of nowhere, told her to enter it. After she entered it the voices told her that the mansion was hers, and that her husband would appear that very night.
Her husband appeared, but in the dark so she could not see him. He told her that her sisters were coming tomorrow and that she should not go to see them because nothing good would come of it. Still, she insisted that she see them. He reluctantly agreed. Her sisters discovered the mansion and grew jealous of the riches and great estate she had. The sisters questioned her about her husband and what he looked like. From Psyche's description they were convinced that she had never seen her husband and knew not of his form. They told her he was no man, but instead, the fearful serpent Apollo's oracle foretold of. They told her that he seemed trustworthy now, but one day he would strike upon her.
Psyche felt fear instead of adoration flooding through her veins. She remembered he had never let her see him and thought that there must be some reason for this. She could not deny what they had said and asked them for their advice. They advised her to hide a knife and lamp near her bed. When her husband went to sleep she must shine her lamp upon and drag her knife through the beast the light was sure to show her. Then they left her torn and confused on what to do. She had given up the struggle and decided she would see him. That night, she shone the lamp upon him.
It was Cupid! Wax melted down from the lamp and fell upon Cupid. Cupid was hurt, so he fled to Olympus and told Aphrodite about his problems. Angry about about his disobedience, Aphrodite left him with his injury.
Psyche wanted to spend the rest of her life searching for Cupid. She went to Aphrodite to beg for help. Aphrodite, still jealous of Psyche, gave her difficult challenges to prove her a worthy servant. Psyche always found a way to complete them which frustrated Aphrodite (see the section titled Psyche's tasks for information on the three not mentioned here.) Her last task, and the most dreadful of all of her tasks, was to get a box from the underworld containing beauty. Aphrodite's excuse was that from not being worshipped for so long her beauty had declined. Psyche had gotten the box, however, she could not handle the temptation to open it. Psyche was disappointed to find the box empty, except for a infernal and Stygian sleep which is then set free from the box. The sleep took possession of Psyche and knocked her unconscious.
At this point in time, Cupid healed from his wound and yearned to see Psyche. He decided to fly out in search of his wife. Psyche was sleeping nearly beside the palace and Cupid found her instantly. Cupid put the sleep back in the box and pricked her with an arrow to awaken her. He scolded her from being so curious and asked her to take the box to his mother, assuring her everything would be well. Cupid went up to Olympus to see Jupiter to ask that Aphrodite would give them no more trouble. Jupiter agreed. Then Jupiter announced to all, including Aphrodite, that Cupid and Psyche were married. Jupiter then gave Psyche ambrosia, Psyche drank and then became immortal. Then, Psyche and Cupid could live together forever and were equals.
Interesting facts
Psyche means "love and soul"
Some people may think Valentine's Day originated from this myth, Cupid and Psyche, but it did not.
Psyche's tasks
The first was to sort the smallest seeds seeds of many kinds of grain and be finished by night fall. Ants hellped her to sort them.
The next was to fetch some golden fleece from exetremely viscous sheep. The reeds told her that the thorny plants had fleece on them and that she could collect the fleece from them. She did.
Next was to fetch a bottle of water from the source of the river styx. An eagle helped her to get to the water which was on a very high mountain.
Sources
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. New York, NY: Warner, 1999. Print.
Davenport, Basil. The Portable Roman Reader. New York: Viking, 1951. Print.